31 Americans, including 22 Navy SEALs from the SEAL Team Six unit that killed Osama bin Laden, were killed in a Taliban rocket attack on an Army Chinook CH-47F helicopter in the Tangi valley of the Wardak province of eastern Afghanistan on Saturday.

U.S. military officials have confirmed the attack, and that the 22 Navy SEALs who died in the attack were from the Seal Team Six unit, but were not the same men that were part of the Osama bin Laden raid.

The UK Daily Mail is reporting that a crew from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment was piloting the helicopter, which included the 22 U.S. Navy SEALs, three U.S. Air Force air controllers, seven Afghan troops, a combat canine and his handler, a civilian interpreter, and the helicopter crew.

More information will be posted as it comes in.

FULL STORY UPDATE:

A helicopter has been brought down in a rocket attack in Afghanistan, killing 31 Americans. It was reportedly shot down by insurgents using a rocket propelled grenade; the Taliban have claimed responsibility. It is the highest number of US casualties in a single incident since the war began. A total of 38 people were on board the CH-47F Chinook helicopter.

Among those lost were as many as 25 Navy SEALs from SEAL Team Six – the unit that was responsible for the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May. The helicopter, which was flown by a 5 member crew from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, was reportedly carrying up to 25 Navy SEALs, 7 Afghan Army troops, an interpreter and a dog.

The Special Operations Troops were returning from a night raid on the village of Jaw-e-mekh Zareen, west of Kabul, where they had been involved in a two-hour fire fight. They were reportedly on a mission to rescue a team of military personnel who were engaged in a battle with insurgents. The helicopter was fired on, and crashed in the Sayd Abad district of Wardak province, an area known for a strong Taliban presence.

President Obama was notified of the incident while at Camp David, and issued the following statement:

“Their deaths are a reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices made by the men and women of our military and their families, including all who have served in Afghanistan. We will draw inspiration from their lives, and continue the work of securing our country and standing up for the values that they embodied.”

With these deaths, the total number of coalition troops killed in Afghanistan this year stands at 334. With the Afghan war reaching its 10th anniversary in October, an estimated 2,655 coalition troops have lost their lives in total. The deaths come as NATO is in the process of drawing down and handing control to Afghan forces.

The office of Afghanistan President Karzai issued a statement saying: “A NATO helicopter crashed last night in Wardak province. President Karzai expressed his deep condolences because of this incident and expressed his sympathy to President Obama.”

Since the news broke that the Navy SEAL Team Six killed Osama bin Laden in a daring raid on his Abbottabad fortified compound, there has been in incredible surge of interest in finding out more about this elite group of Navy SEAL operators. So, we’ll start with some basic questions and answers, and if your questions isn’t answered here, just post your questions in the comment section.

In no particular order:

Q. Is there a SEAL Team Six movie, or are they featured in any movies?

A. Not yet, but you can bet your sweet ass that this daring feat is going to be made into a movie! There is a new book by ex Navy SEAL sniper Howard Wasdin called ‘SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper’. There has been speculation that this may be optioned to make into a movie, but his time as a SEAL would not include the raid on Osama bin Laden’s hideout.

UPDATE: There is a movie from 2008 called ‘Seal Team VI’ about the SEAL Team Six insertion into Iraq 4 days prior to the start of Operation: Desert Shield, and IMDB lists it as being inspired by actual events.

Q. Who are the Navy SEAL Team Six members that killed Osama bin Laden?

A. Their names have not been released, and even if I knew (which I certainly do not) – there is no way I would post it here! The names of the Navy SEAL Team Six, along with all Navy SEAL members and members of any Special Forces unit are highly classified. These operators work in the most sensitive areas and on the most important missions. If their identities were made public it could jeopardize their safety, or that of the missions they are on.

There has already been a call to publicly recognize these brave men as the heroes that they are – through the awarding of medals in a public ceremony. I’m all for it – but nothing has been announced yet. How do you feel about this? Let us know in the comments section below.

Q. What about famous or past members of the SEAL Team Six?

A. Read up on Richard Marcinko. This guy is Le-Gen-Dary.Q. Will members of SEAL Team Six be at Fleet Week in New York City?

A. Wow?! That’s a good one! Well, first of all – see the previous question. No one knows who they are, and it is likely that they are in for some exhaustive debriefing and other work to finish up this historic mission. Fleet Week NYC is coming up very soon (May 25 to June 1) and wouldn’t it be cool to go and meet the guy that killed Osama bin Laden? Hell yeah!

Q. How do you join the Navy SEAL Team Six?

A. Want to join this historic band of badasses? Well, first you have to join the Navy. After you’ve joined the Navy, you have to be accepted to join the SEALs. The entrance requirements are:

A. Every Navy SEAL goes through BUD/S, which stands for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training, and includes:

Phase 1 is 8 weeks of physical conditioning, which ends with Hell Week.

Phase 2 is 8 weeks of diving and underwater training.

Phase 3 is 9 weeks of Land Warfare training.

If you complete all of BUD/S, there is an additional 3 weeks of basic parachute training, followed by the 28 week SEAL Qualification Training (SQT).

This is only the beginning of the training that a Navy SEAL operator receives, as they are constantly training depending on the mission they are preparing for, and on new weapon systems and tactics.

Q. What kind of workout do Navy SEALs do?

A. Lots of running, swimming, and low-tech calisthenics like sit-ups, pull-ups, and push-ups. For more information on the Navy SEAL workout, check out their Physical Training Guide. The training guide is only the tip of the iceberg, however. If you want the full scoop on how to condition your body to perform at the highest level, as demanded by Navy SEAL training and operations – you’ve got to read the much longer and more comprehensive US Navy SEAL Physical Fitness Guide.

Q. What is the Seal Team Six Workout?

A. They do the same workout that the rest of the SEALs do, but they eat Al Qaeda for breakfast.

Q. What kind of workout do I need to do to prepare for BUD/s, to prepare to join the SEALs?

A. You need to learn about these types of workouts: Long Slow Distances (LSD), Continuous High Intensity (CHI), and Interval (INT) workouts. You’ll be doing lots of running, swimming, calisthenics, strength weight training, and core exercises. The SEALs wrote a guide to help you prepare, since physical conditioning is so important to your success at BUD/S and as a SEAL: Navy SEAL Physical Training Guide.

Q. Where can I find photos of Navy SEALs in action?

Check them out here: Navy Seal Photos (Coming Soon.)

Q. What equipment does the Navy SEALs use?

They use different equipment depending on the specific needs of the mission, but it has been reported that the Navy SEALs equipment for the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound included:

A. The code word that SEAL Team Six used to identify Osama bin Laden was ‘Geronimo’. No one is quite sure why they used this, but Geronimo was the name of a legendary Apache Indian warrior chief. When bin Laden was confirmed killed, a SEAL Team Six member radioed back: ’Geronimo, EKIA’. EKIA stands for ‘Enemy Killed in Action’.

Q. What is the official name of SEAL Team Six?

A. The official name of SEAL Team Six is United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), which is often referred to as DEVGRU. It is one of two Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units (SMU), the other is Delta Force.

Q. Where is the SEAL Team Six headquarters?

Dam Neck Annex, Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.

Q. What are some of the SEAL Team Six missions?

SEAL Team Six History (Known; brief):

Operation Honey Badger

Operation Urgent Fury

TWA Flight 847 Hijacking

Achille Lauro Hijacking

Operation Just Cause

Operation Desert Storm

Operation Restore Hope

Operation Gothic Serpent

Manhunt for Serbian War Criminals

Operation Enduring Freedom

Baraawe Raid

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Maersk Alabama hijacking

Death of Osama bin Laden

There are probably many more missions that we don’t know about, as all missions are classified and the details of which are rarely learned by the public.

Q. Why are Navy SEALs called seals?

A. SEAL is an acronym for SEa, Air, and Land – therefore they are called SEALs.

Q. How much does a Navy SEAL make each year?

A. A typical Navy SEAL salary is about $54,000 a year, based on a E-7 pay grade (Navy ranks are called ‘grades’ for enlisted personnel) and about 12 years experience. This salary is a base and does not include such things as signing bonuses, benefits, housing and other allowances, or incentive pay for things like hazardous duty, flight, sea-pay, parachute, etc. With more experience, or with certain special weapon or skill specialties a SEAL can earn upwards of six figures ($100,000). It should be noted that these guys don’t do it for the money. With their qualifications and experience they could earn much more in the private sector. The risks that they take, and the singular dedication that it takes to become a SEAL and constantly train for the missions. They do it for their commitment and dedication to protecting America and freedom.

Any more questions out there?

I will post more questions as I get time, but in the meantime, what questions do you have about the Navy SEAL Team Six?

Patch of the Navy Seal Team Six. There are wide media reports that Osama Bin Laden was killed by members of Navy Seal Team Six in daring clandestine raid.

Osama Bin Laden was reported to be hiding out in a heavily fortified compound in the town of Abbottabad, Pakistan, a garrison town.

Members of the elite special forces team, under the command of the Central Intelligence Agency, raided the compound in a precision mission that included the downing and subsequent demolition of a U.S. helicopter, a 40 minute firefight, and the eventual killing of Osama Bin Laden in that same gunfight.

NavyHandbook.org salutes all those involved in the operation to kill Osama Bin Laden, and we pay tribute to all those who have fought bravely against his campaign of evil and hatred.